Stowage and launching of ships&#39; lifeboats



Aug; 21, 1923.

J. GRAHAM STOWAGE AND LAUNCI-IING OF SHIPS LIFBBOATS Filed June 15 1922 Patented Aug. 21, 1923.

U TED tease;

JOHN GRAHAM, or LIVER-POOL, ENGLAND.

STOWAGE AND LAUNGHING O F. SHIPS LIFEBOATS. i

Application filed lune 15 1922. Serial No. 568,436.-

To all whom it may concern; I I

Be it known that I, J oHN GRAHAM, of 3 Mayfield Road,; Grassendale, I Liverpool, England, a British subject, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Connected with the S towage and Launch ing of Ships Lifeboats, of which the fol-- lowing isa specification.

This invention has reference to the stowage and launching of ships lifeboats for saving life atsea. I J

For a long time a requirementor regulation has existed that the number of boats to be stowed on board'ship must be sufii' cient to accommodate all the people on the ship and that the boats must be carried in such manner as to be capable of being readily launched from the ship in .case of accident orv foundering.- Great difliculty has i requirements. Existing systems generally in-- volve the stowage of two or more boats one upon .the other under the samepair of davits nested semi-collapsible boats on the ship, with the result, as is well known, of great difiiculty (especially in connection with the I recovery ofthe tackle for engaging with additional boats) and considerable lo-ss of time in launching. The semi-collapsible boats have also been-found unsatisfactory in use. It is also necessary that the stowing and launching gear be such that the boats can-be launched individually or a number of them simultaneously as desired.

. The object of this invention is to meet the aforesaid requirement by stowing a large number of boats in a special manner and without the necessity fornesting or for I employing collapsible boats, the stowing, launching and, chocking arrangement being such that the boats can either be launched individually or a number of them simultaneously as desired.

' According to this invention the boats-are all disposechside by side, along the side of line of the boat.

the ships boat deck with their longitu'di nal centre lines lying bliquely to the centre line of the ship, the boats lying. together 7 side byside in parallel formation and being retained "in position bysuitablechocks and so thatthey can all be easily, and quickly launched by suitable. launching means.

As regards the disposition of the boats,

thepreferred arangement is that wherein the. bow of one boat overlaps the .sternof the adjacent boat,,and inthe case'of the eX- isting arrangement of ships boat decks and deck houses, the bows oft-he boats will proje'ct, or overhang, the side of the deck, but

the degree of this depends upon the angular arrangement of the boats and the number desired to be length. I

The boats may be stowed on chocks, ar-

ranged parallel with the side of the ship,

two chocks for each boat connected by a member adapted to receive the keel. of the boat and to be inclined to. the shipscentre line at the same angle as that of the centre The "-,launc11ing means consist of single vertical axis, swivelling, self-contained, independently-operated davitshaving a winding, or operating, gear upon same, capable of suspending the boat above its centre by a single tackle or rope. the verticalgaxis. of v I fth e davit bei-ngplaced near the side ofthe as wellas the stowage of a Ia-rgemumber-of ship outboard of a-line extending parallel to the ships side through the center of-the' boats and in the space between each pair of;

adjacent boats and relatively near the bow of the one boat.

quiring the operator of power operated davits to be in su ch a: position that he can observe andcontrol the boat as itdescends parallel with theships side. I

' The system ofstowage of shipsboats underthis invention is shown by way of ex ample, on the accom, anying drawings,

stowed a given deckside and the midships of. the adjacent boat. V

Fig. 1 isa plan view of. part of 'a-ships 1 beat deck illustrating the known system of arranging. ships boats and one arrangement Y according to the present invention, and

Figs. 2 and dare other views of part of-a ships boat deck with other arrangements under this invention. I II Figs. 4: and 5, respectively, are perspective and plan views of one constructionof chocks adapted to hold a ships boat in position obliquely relatively to the centre line of the ship. 7

Referring to Fig. 1, the lower hall illustrates a present known arrangementof ships boats disposed parallel to the centre line of the ships boat deck. With this arrangement it is possible to arrange seven boa-ts ain line along one side of that part of the shipsboat deck shown in 1 and one boat a against a-deck house Z) with the necessary space between the same for manipulating and launching. It is found, however, that, with this arrangement, a suili-d cien't number of ships" boats cannot'be carried without nesting or banking the boats.

The upper half 0]": Fig. 1 illustrates one arrangement under my invention wherein a number of ships boats are arranged parallel to each other with suilicient space between each two adjacent boats for manipulating and launching. With this arrangement eleven boats a are shown as occupying a length of deck corresponding to that occupied by seven similar boats arranged in the old way and shown in the lower half of Fig. 1 while still affording them the same equal facilities for launching which,

of course, is a very important matter as the extra boats would be of no avail in an accident if they could not be launchedin time. It will be seen, in the arrangement shown in the upper half. of F 1 the bow or forepart of one boat overlaps the stern or rearpart of an adjacent boat.

,The ships boats, arranged as in the upper half of Fig. 1, are stowed in positionby means of any suitable chocking arrangement but, preferably, I employ, for each boat, a pair of chocks 0 connected by an oblique keel bar (Z as shown in Figs. and 5 formed with a slot (Z communicating with notches or recesses c in the chocks c and adapted to receive the keel of the boat. The chocks c are so disposed relatively to the oblique keel bar (Z as to be parallel to the centre line of the ships boat deck, and are spaced from each other so as to give proper accommodation for the boats. Chocks constructed and arranged in this manner prov vide a very elficient support for each boat.

If desired, the slot Z may be formed in a part of the deck or any attachment thereto.

Each of the ships boats {4 arranged accordlng to this invention, and as shown in the upper half of Fig. 1, is preferably provided with a single davit e of the type known as the Jraham slngle davit and adapted to rotate about a vertical axis for moving the boat from an inboard. position. to an outboard position as shown in dott l outline, left hand side of Fig. 1. The dav ns e have their axes located outboard of a line Tin turn, with the tackle on the davit.

extending parallel to the ships side through the center of the boats when stowed. The arrangement shown is specially advantageone when manipulating and launching the boats, alternate boats being adapted to be dealt with simultaneously without any possibility' of the persons dealing with one boat interfering with those dealing with the other boat. After launching the alternate boats in this manner the remainder can be despatched simultaneously. With'such an arrangement the launching of ships boats can be effected expeditiously without confusion and a much larger number" of boats provid'ed all ready torimmediate use.

The arrangementshown in" Fig. 2 is similar to that shown in the upper half of Fig. 1 with the exception that the angular disposition of theboats relatively to the centrev line of the ships boat dock is increased and a greater number of boats arranged in a corresponding length of ships boat deck,

ships davit is provided, in this case, for each p'air of adjacent boats, the davits being so dis posed relatively to the chocks as to enable a boat on each side thereofto beconnezited,

t is however, to be understood, that, if desired a separate da'vit may be provided for each'i05 boat.

It will be understood that the construction of the chocks 'will vary according to the angular disposition of the boats, the keel bar (Z being disposed at a greater angle "1 to the chocks according .to the greater number of boats arranged on each side of the boat deck.

l vhen a boat is to be lowered it is lifted. by the davit hand gear off its chocks,and" the davit swunground. A slewing movement of, say, about is usually suflicient to bring the boat outboard parallel with the ships side as the stowage of the boats is such that the boat normallylies partially 120 turned towards the outboard position. In this way much time is saved when launching.

The angular disposition of the boats relatively to the'c'entre, line of the ships boat deck enables the boats to be so arranged as thatli y e pr y will strike them almost pie y ;will, with normal passenger line-rs, permit a full equipment of class A lifeboats to :be

carried-on the steamer, all separately Yarran ed alon the sides'of the shi) read for use and, if desired, all attached to davits, without occupying practically any moredeck space than that. at j-present ocsystem.

. Having now fully described my invention;

what I" claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 7 v q 1. In a ship theicombination of ships life boats that are stowed in'parallel formation' along the deck obliquely to the centre line of the ship and partly overhanging" the 'ships side, and davi'ts of the single, verti cal-axis, swivelling, self-contained, independent-lyoperated type for launching the beats, a. davit being located between two boats and also being located I with its the doubled banking or nesting V lLVitnesses:

verticalaxis at or near the ships side and r outboard of a. line extending parallel to the ships side through'th'e centres of the boats,

so that the operator can observe the boatas it descends parallel with the ships'side.

2. In a ship the combination ofship'slife boats that :arevstowed in parallel formation ships side, and davits of the single, ver'tie cal-ax1s,- swivelling, self-contained; independently-operated type for la-unching' the; boa-ts, davit-slocated between pairs of boats and eachdavit being located with its'verti- .cal axis at or-near the ships side and outboard. of a. line extending'parallel to'the ships side through the centres of the boats, 7 so thatby a movement 'ofa davit about its axis through 120 the-boat operated upon Vmay be'swung outboard'into positionto be lowered into thesea parallel with the ships side, ,the arrangement being such that the operator can observeth'edescent of the boat. r

In testlrnony' whereof I afh my signature in prese-ncevofgtwo witnesses.

1 JQHNGRAHAM,

CHE'NRY, J.-I GRE OR V LJAMES C. MCKAE- along the deck obliquely to the centre line 3 of the ship and partly overhanging the: 

